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There are A LOT of threads on talkbass about speaker size you can feel free to read. Short answer: No. There are a myriad of more important factors than speaker size including the driver & it's T/S parameters, box construction, tuning, etc.

Do you find 18" speakers still offer something special that the 15"s lack even if your going through the house system? I don't see too many company's offering 18" speakers anymore.

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I can think of one application where the answer would be yes: A medium-sized room (200-300) where the PA is marginal (or nonexistent) down in the bass region. You need to cover the room well from the stage, but at the same time you don't want to blast out the stage with bass. Perfect solution would be a Cerwin-Vega 18" folded horn because they couple well to the room, are very efficient, and they're not loud in the immediate vicinity.

My experience is restricted to JBL E155 and Definimax 18LF.
The JBL is typical of the E-series... very efficient, loud, and no bottom.
The chrome dome produces a response well up into the 4KHz region, but it is very directional.

The 18LF is a project I built for Chelsea Baker some years back.
I built her an Eden look-alike intended to match her existing D410-XLT.
After two seasons on tour, she managed to blow up both cabs.
She sold the D410-XLT and the 18LF came back to me.

I bought a brand new 18LF from Leland (speakerhardware.com) so I can replace the blown driver, and sell off the cab.

Measurement-wise, there is nothing special about the 18LF that 15's cannot accomplish.
It is a very nice driver, heavy and expensive.
It performs very well, but is nothing unique.